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| The Six Darsanas or Shad Darshanas (Samskrit : षड्दर्शनानि) are the intellectual and philosophical discussions of Bharatiya shastras. Indian Philosophy has been intensely spiritual and has always emphasized on practical realization of truth as against the Western Philosophy which is essentially an intellectual quest for truth. | | The Six Darsanas or Shad Darshanas (Samskrit : षड्दर्शनानि) are the intellectual and philosophical discussions of Bharatiya shastras. Indian Philosophy has been intensely spiritual and has always emphasized on practical realization of truth as against the Western Philosophy which is essentially an intellectual quest for truth. |
− | == Etymology == | + | == व्युत्पत्तिः || Etymology == |
| The word '<nowiki/>''philosophy''<nowiki/>' means 'love of learning'. It signifies a natural and necessary urge in human beings to know themselves and the world in which they 'live and move and have their being'. The word '''darshana''<nowiki/>' means 'vision' and also the 'instrument of vision'. It stands for the direct, intermediate and intuitive vision of Reality, the actual perception of Truth, and also includes the means which lead to this Realization.<ref name=":22">Sharma, Chandradhar. (1962). ''The Indian Philosophy : A Critical Survey.'' USA: Barnes & Noble, Inc.</ref> | | The word '<nowiki/>''philosophy''<nowiki/>' means 'love of learning'. It signifies a natural and necessary urge in human beings to know themselves and the world in which they 'live and move and have their being'. The word '''darshana''<nowiki/>' means 'vision' and also the 'instrument of vision'. It stands for the direct, intermediate and intuitive vision of Reality, the actual perception of Truth, and also includes the means which lead to this Realization.<ref name=":22">Sharma, Chandradhar. (1962). ''The Indian Philosophy : A Critical Survey.'' USA: Barnes & Noble, Inc.</ref> |
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| * Vedanta says that it is that fundamental point of unity implied in pure consciousness (chit), pure bliss (ananda) and pure being (sat). | | * Vedanta says that it is that fundamental point of unity implied in pure consciousness (chit), pure bliss (ananda) and pure being (sat). |
| But all agree in holding that it is pure and unsullied in its nature and that all impurities of action or passion do not form a real part of it. When all impurities are removed and the pure nature of the self is thoroughly and permanently apprehended and all other extraneous connections with it are absolutely dissociated.<ref name=":12" /> | | But all agree in holding that it is pure and unsullied in its nature and that all impurities of action or passion do not form a real part of it. When all impurities are removed and the pure nature of the self is thoroughly and permanently apprehended and all other extraneous connections with it are absolutely dissociated.<ref name=":12" /> |
− | == ज्ञानम् ॥ Jnana == | + | == विवेकज्ञानम् ॥ Viveka Jnana == |
| Though the belief that the world is full of sorrow has not been equally prominently emphasized in all systems, yet it may be considered as being shared by all of them. It finds its strongest utterance in Samkhya, Yoga and Buddhism. This interminable chain of pleasurable and painful experiences does not lead one to a peaceful end but embroiling and entangling us in the meshes of karma, rebirth, and sorrow. All human experiences are essentially sorrowful and ultimately sorrow begetting. Sorrow is the ultimate truth of this process of the world. That which to an ordinary person seems pleasurable appears to a wise person or to a yogi who has a clearer vision as painful. The greater the knowledge the higher is the sensitiveness to sorrow and dissatisfaction with world experiences. This sorrow of worldly experiences cannot be removed by bringing in remedies for each sorrow, nor be avoided by mere inaction or suicide. The only way to get rid of it is by the culmination of moral greatness and true knowledge (Jnana) which uproot sorrow once and for all. It is our ignorance that the self is intimately connected with the experiences of life or its pleasures, that leads us to action and arouses passion in us for the enjoyment of pleasures and other emotions and activities.<ref name=":12" /> | | Though the belief that the world is full of sorrow has not been equally prominently emphasized in all systems, yet it may be considered as being shared by all of them. It finds its strongest utterance in Samkhya, Yoga and Buddhism. This interminable chain of pleasurable and painful experiences does not lead one to a peaceful end but embroiling and entangling us in the meshes of karma, rebirth, and sorrow. All human experiences are essentially sorrowful and ultimately sorrow begetting. Sorrow is the ultimate truth of this process of the world. That which to an ordinary person seems pleasurable appears to a wise person or to a yogi who has a clearer vision as painful. The greater the knowledge the higher is the sensitiveness to sorrow and dissatisfaction with world experiences. This sorrow of worldly experiences cannot be removed by bringing in remedies for each sorrow, nor be avoided by mere inaction or suicide. The only way to get rid of it is by the culmination of moral greatness and true knowledge (Jnana) which uproot sorrow once and for all. It is our ignorance that the self is intimately connected with the experiences of life or its pleasures, that leads us to action and arouses passion in us for the enjoyment of pleasures and other emotions and activities.<ref name=":12" /> |
| * The Upanishads tell us that the Vedas - the storehouse of knowledge - have been breathed forth from Him (Brhd. Upan. 2.4.10); but they regard the Karma-kanda as secondary, being only a help to purify the mind by which purification one is made fit to receive the real teaching about Brahman. | | * The Upanishads tell us that the Vedas - the storehouse of knowledge - have been breathed forth from Him (Brhd. Upan. 2.4.10); but they regard the Karma-kanda as secondary, being only a help to purify the mind by which purification one is made fit to receive the real teaching about Brahman. |
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| Thus we see that all Indian shastras agreed upon the general principles of ethical conduct which must be followed for the attainment of salvation. There are indeed divergences in certain details or technical names, but the means to be adopted for purification are almost same as those advocated by the Yoga system. It is in later times that devotion (bhakti) is seen to occupy a more prominent place specially in Vaishnava schools of thought. Thus, although many differences are seen among the various shastras, yet their goal of life, their attitude towards the world and means for the attainment of the goal (''sadhana'') fundamentally being the same, advocates a unique unity in the practical sadhana of almost all the Indian philosophical schools of thought. The religious craving has been universal in India and this uniformity of sadhana has therefore secured for India a unity in all her aspirations and strivings.<ref name=":12" /> | | Thus we see that all Indian shastras agreed upon the general principles of ethical conduct which must be followed for the attainment of salvation. There are indeed divergences in certain details or technical names, but the means to be adopted for purification are almost same as those advocated by the Yoga system. It is in later times that devotion (bhakti) is seen to occupy a more prominent place specially in Vaishnava schools of thought. Thus, although many differences are seen among the various shastras, yet their goal of life, their attitude towards the world and means for the attainment of the goal (''sadhana'') fundamentally being the same, advocates a unique unity in the practical sadhana of almost all the Indian philosophical schools of thought. The religious craving has been universal in India and this uniformity of sadhana has therefore secured for India a unity in all her aspirations and strivings.<ref name=":12" /> |
| == Nyaya and Vaiseshika Darshanas == | | == Nyaya and Vaiseshika Darshanas == |
− | The Vaiseshika darshana is reagarded as conducive to the study of all systems. It deals with the Padarthas (catergories) and the entire universe is reduced to six or seven padarthas. The word 'padartha' means 'the meaning of a word' or 'the object signified by a word'. All objects of knowledge or all reals come under padartha. Padartha means an object which can be thought (jneya) and named (abhidheya). The Vaiseshika system is a pluralistic realism, a philosophy of identity and difference, which emphasizes that the heart of reality consists on difference. It is a mere catalogue of the knowables, an enumeration of the diverse reals without any attempt to synthesize them. Originally the Vaiseshika believed in the six categories and the seventh, that of Abhava or negation was added on later. The Vaiseshika divides all existent reals which are all objects of knowledge into two classes - bhava or being and abhava or non-being. All knowledge necessarily points to an object beyond and independent of it. | + | The Vaiseshika darshana is reagarded as conducive to the study of all systems. It deals with the Padarthas (catergories) and the entire universe is reduced to six or seven padarthas. The word 'padartha' means 'the meaning of a word' or 'the object signified by a word'. All objects of knowledge or all reals come under padartha. Padartha means an object which can be thought (jneya) and named (abhidheya). The Vaiseshika system is a pluralistic realism, a philosophy of identity and difference, which emphasizes that the heart of reality consists on difference. It is a mere catalogue of the knowables, an enumeration of the diverse reals without any attempt to synthesize them. Originally the Vaiseshika believed in the six categories and the seventh, that of Abhava or negation was added on later. The Vaiseshika divides all existent reals which are all objects of knowledge into two classes - bhava or being and abhava or non-being. All knowledge necessarily points to an object beyond and independent of it. Nyaya accepts the metaphysics of the Vaiseshika school and the accounts of matter, soul and God are almost the same as those in the Vaiseshika. |
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− | Nyaya-Vaiseshika believes in the doctrine of Asatkaryavada which means that the effect does not pre-exist in its cause. The effect is a new beginning, a fresh creation. It is also called Arambhavada or Paramanukaranavada. All physical things are produced by the combinations of atoms. Creation thus means the combination of atoms in different proportions and destruction means the dissolution of such combinations. The material cause of the Universe is neither produced nor destroyed. It is the eternal atoms. It is only the atomic combinations which are produced and which get destroyed. | + | Nyaya-Vaiseshika believes in the doctrine of ''Asatkaryavada'' which means that the effect does not pre-exist in its cause. The effect is a new beginning, a fresh creation. It is also called Arambhavada or Paramanukaranavada. All physical things are produced by the combinations of atoms. Creation thus means the combination of atoms in different proportions and destruction means the dissolution of such combinations. The material cause of the Universe is neither produced nor destroyed. It is the eternal atoms. It is only the atomic combinations which are produced and which get destroyed. <ref name=":22" /> The following are the primary differences between Nyaya and Vaiseshika darshana concepts. |
| + | {| class="wikitable" |
| + | !Vaiseshika |
| + | !Nyaya |
| + | |- |
| + | |Recognizes seven padarthas and classifies all reals under them |
| + | |Recognizes sixteen padarthas and includes all seven Vaiseshika padarthas in one of them called Prameya |
| + | |- |
| + | |Develops metaphysics and ontology (nature of beings and the relationships between them) |
| + | |Develops logic and epistemology (the theory of knowledge) |
| + | |- |
| + | |Recognizes only two Pramanas : pratyaksha (perception) and anumana (inference) |
| + | |Recognizes four Pramanas : perception, inference, Upamana (comparison) and shabda (verbal authority). |
| + | |} |
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− | Vaiseshika develops metaphysics and ontology; Nyaya develops
| + | == Samkhya and Yoga == |
| + | Yoga is intimately allied to Samkhya. The Bhagavadgita calls them one. Yoga means spiritual action and Samkhya means knowledge. Samkhya is theory and Yoga is practice. Yoga mostly accepts the postulates of Samkhya and shows the practical path by following which one may attain Vivekajnana which alone leads to liberation. |
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| ==References== | | ==References== |
| <references /> | | <references /> |